© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.
I never got my promotion
In March, I "temporarily" stepped into my old manager's role as my company went on a hiring freeze. This temporary solution now looks like it's going to last the whole year, and I've taken on significantly more responsibilities and extra work. The problem is I'm working as a manager but this isn't reflected in my title nor my pay.
I've discussed this with my current manager who's been advocating for me, but executives and HR have been slow to move or take action. After months nothing has been offered to me. I know the company is in a tough place right now so I'm more hesitant than usual.
What are my best next steps? Thank you!
Bianca Lager
Own. The. Room.
179
07/31/20 at 5PM UTC
In principle, you should get compensated for the new role from day one however execution is another thing entirely right now. Were these duties assigned or implied and you picked them up? Professional maturity matters and budgets, promotions, and organizational development are complicated right now. Sometimes giving one person a promotion has implications on others that need to be thought through and frankly, thinking through those things takes bandwidth that individuals might now have. Often the "feet dragging" is because there are several other strategic organizational decisions pending. It's not necessarily personal though it does take advantage of you. Sometimes it's not fair a while but the goal is to get it level set. However that takes time, persistence and maturity on your part. It's not always "peanuts"to give raises - it's a matter of balancing a complicated equation of keeping folks employed and the company meeting its goals or even keeping above water. It's definitely up to you to advocate for yourself but doing so with patience and maturity is important. Being a manager is about more than executing a check list of duties with proper title and compensation - its leadership, understanding what the priorities are in the business and how you improve the narrative of those priorities. Continue building your case that you are executing well - for a better lack of words: put a gun to their head. Bring evidence of your performance, present a job description, title and compensation plan you think is appropriate and pitch it at the right time. Make a business case for it and lay it out so it is logical and straight forward. I've actually done this for friends and colleagues before so if you need help crafting a pitch, I'm happy to show you what I've done. It's not "HR's job" to do this - it's your job and your life so take it into your hands and show some executive skills and presence while you do it. Sometimes it takes a while but you just have to be prepared and be appropriately persistent. The key is to have your persistence be organized and effective. At some point, and you will know when you reach that point, if there is no movement and you are getting shut down then by all means move on. But it just might be worth it to persist and you might learn a new skill about how to pitch your value to executives. It's a good one to have! Good luck!
Anonymous
07/31/20 at 4:40PM UTC (Edited)
It really is dependent on where you are personally. For me when that happened, I love my job but I love the folks I work with even more. I was very well compensated for the work I did at the time and it was only the title truly lacking. Our company at the time was close to locking the doors and we were working at pulling it up an over the next hill. We did that and before we tackled the next big hill I was moved up by title and compensation. For me it was worth the wait and aware of the market, I knew my compensation was high for my region. It's never a bad thing to go looking and see what is available. If you are unhappy and feel they won't reward you, then you need to look elsewhere.
However don't let everything sour you on where you are currently. Some jobs are NOT hiring and many businesses are cutting back as COVID takes it's toll, so just keep that in mind. I know my company isn't hiring and we are preparing for a slow down Q4.
Anonymous
07/31/20 at 2:37PM UTC
It's not clear if you value the title or the salary bump more at this point. If the issue here is limited budget and you're ok with that, then I would ask your manager if you can get the title change official and on the books and hold off on the salary increase for now, with a signed agreement saying that your increase will be revisited in Jan 2021. If what you're really looking for is the salary increase now, then your best option may be to do as other suggested and update your resume to show the job responsibilities you're actually doing and start looking around. If you leave they may give you a counter offer, which you can consider or not. Good luck!
Lydia GershmanIndependent Sales Representative
105
07/31/20 at 2:36PM UTC
I am hearing about companies that are cutting everyone's pay by 25%.
Elizabeth Erwin
31
07/31/20 at 1:31PM UTC
I was in this position. I let it go, because at that time, I had a poor relationship with my immediate supervisor, and felt strongly that it would negatively impact my job (which I like) to ask. Additionally, my workplace was in a financially tough spot, and I didn't want to put forward a request at what was obviously a bad time for fear of making myself look clueless. 8 months later, I got a new supervisor. I waited a year so that he could get a good sense of my work, then wrote my request with details of my increased responsibility, further education, etc. He thanked me for asking, told me he felt it was justified, and I got a significant increase. Just like it's a good idea to ask, it's a good idea to be aware of timing and other factors that play into these decisions. If you're otherwise happy with your job, I'd wait until you feel the timing is appropriate. If you aren't happy about things other than pay, it's time to start looking. Make sure you use your interim title in the hunt, but steer clear of using this as your reason for looking in an interview!
Bianca LagerOwn. The. Room.
179
07/31/20 at 5:01PM UTC
Well done!
Natasha Van Doren
11
07/31/20 at 12:58PM UTC
Why are employees always the ones that have to take it? If you are doing the job well without the compensation, why should they pay you more?
Shanna HockingWomen’s Leadership Expert
41
07/31/20 at 12:42PM UTC
This is a tough spot. If you like where you are and what you’re doing, I would stick with it and see what other benefits they may be able to provide for you. Title should be relatively simple to adjust in the scheme of things. See if they can commit to retroactive pay from the date you anticipated this happening (or at least from now.) If you want to keep your ear to the ground for what else might be out there, it could give you additional perspective and information to determine whether you want to stay or go.
Eric McRoy
20
07/31/20 at 12:41PM UTC
Although the company says they are in a "tough situation", so are you. You are performing as "xyz" manager, put that on your Resume and "immediately", start shopping yourself!
© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.